Care scheme 'can lessen impact of chronic diseases'

A pilot scheme aimed at improving the health of participants suffering from chronic diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, has proven successful in reducing the burden of these long-term illnesses on the community, according to a study conducted by the University of Hong Kong's medical school. The study, commissioned by the Health Bureau, examined the impact of a pilot scheme with around 300,000 participants between November 2023 and the end of September this year.

Of the 160,000 participants who underwent the entire screening process, approximately 40 percent, or 64,000, were diagnosed with either high blood pressure or diabetes.

The study revealed significant improvements in the cardiovascular and metabolic health of participants who completed a year of follow-up treatments. Dr. Eric Wan, associate professor of family medicine and primary care, reported a decline in the number of diabetics within the pilot scheme group, with 64,000 participants successfully completing the treatments.

Notably, the glycated haemoglobin level in these diabetics decreased from 7.76 percent to 6.7 percent, marking a reduction of 1.05 percentage points. Additionally, systolic blood pressure decreased from around 136 at the start of the trial to 129, demonstrating the positive impact of the scheme.

Dr. Wan emphasized that participants gained a better understanding of how to manage their health conditions after engaging with the pilot scheme. The findings from the study indicated that over 90 percent of participants reported improvements in their ability to understand, manage, and cope with their health conditions. Furthermore, 96 percent of participants deemed the services provided by the district health centre to be valuable and necessary.

Esther Yu, a consultant from the Primary Healthcare Commission of the Health Bureau, highlighted that adopting a healthier lifestyle can also effectively lower blood pressure. She pointed out that, apart from regular exercise like jogging, dietary management, and stress reduction, are all effective non-pharmacological treatments for managing blood pressure.

Yu noted that there are over 900 family doctors participating in the Primary Healthcare co-care Network, expressing confidence in the scheme's capacity to handle even more participants.

Yu emphasized that the scheme is just the beginning of a broader journey to tackle chronic diseases and urged the public to collaborate with the scheme's medical team to mitigate the risks associated with these conditions.